available at http://ejournal.unp.ac.id/index.php/jelt
GROWING GARDENING METAPHORS: THE ACTIVITY IN TEACHING WRITING RECOUNT TEXT FOR FIRST GRADE OF
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Yahya Sidiq1 and Aryuliva Adnan2 English Department
Faculty of Languages and Arts UniversitasNegeri Padang email: [email protected]
Abstract
This paper deals with the use of Growing Gardening Metaphors Classroom Activity in teaching writing recount text for first grade of senior high school.
Growing Gardening Metaphors can be used by teachers to make teaching and learning English cassroom more enjoyable. This metaphor activity is used as the solution for teacher to solve students‟ problem in writing recount text at first grade of senior high school. It helps teacher in teaching writing recount text which motivates students to think more creative in considering the same function or activity both their experience and gardern vocabulary while writing the text.
Growing Gardening Metaphor can be applied for senior high school students in Indonesia. For doing this classroom activity, teacher needs approximately 60 minutes to take time required. It is appropriate to the grade X in senior high school which has two “teaching and learning hours” a week or 90 minutes for learning English language based on Indonesia Curriculum of 2013.
Keywords:Teaching writing, recount text, Growing Gardening Metaphors.
A. INTRODUCTION
This paper deals with classroom activity that can be applied by teachers in English language classroom to see students‟ creativity in writing especially for Recount Text. Recount Text is a text which retells the events or someone‟s activities in the past. So, here the tense used is „simple past tense.‟ Students learn Recount text at second semester in senior high school, based on Indonesia Curriculum of 2013.
As far it is known that writing is more difficult than other language basic skills (listening, reading, and speaking) in particular for students who learn English at the first time. It is caused that they need to be able to express their ideas, opinions, feelings and emotion as well as possible in order to create a good writing (Siswita and AlHafizh, 2014). According to Jurianto (2014), writing skill is more difficult than others, and teachers should have a good teaching method in classroom to get students‟ comprehension.
1English ELTSP of English Department of FBS Universitas Negeri Padang graduated onMarch 2019
2Lecturer of English Department of FBS Universitas Negeri Padang
In learning recount text, students also have a problem in understanding English grammar. Troia and Graham in Troia (2014) add, “If it is not applied with a large degree of automaticity, basic writing skills such as spelling, handwriting, typing, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar can become obstacles to product written expression.” Recount text consists of sentences which are written in simple past form. Students are demanded to master on how to change the sentences they want to express by using the tense itself. As the writer found while teaching practice in SMAN 3 Kota Solokin 2017, many students were confused on the concept of simple past form, such as the change from present to past verbs and adverbial time used. Many teachers used to teach the students only the formula in constructing the sentences of simple past tense. Students need more explanation about the usage of the past form with the result that they really master in writing recount text in English.
Furthermore, in learning the target language students should be given more motivation to get their interest. According to Elyildirim and SallyAshton (2006) students‟ learning capability can be improved when they have high motivation and possitive attitudes. Harmer in Fu Xiao (2013) states, “All teachers can think the situation in which certain „motivated‟ students do significantly better than their peers; students frequently succeed in what appear to be unfavourable conditions, they succeed despite using methods which expert to consider unsatisfactory.”
In teaching writing recount text, some teachers just ask students to recall the activities or eventsthey did on last time, then they just write the text directly.
Students are even asked to do writing the text at home as their homework which makes them write the text perfunctorily. Those teaching techniques effect that most students are not able to express their ideascreatively in writing recount text.
To get students‟ creativity in writing recount text, teacher needs to prepare some learning activity that can be used to have students‟ attantion in order to make them able to write the text which is interesting to be read. There are many teachniques that can be used by teachers to teach writing Recount Text for senior high school students, such as using picture series, outlining, using freewriting, and so on. In this paper, the writer suggests for teachers to use Growing Gardening Metaphors Classroom Activity with the aim of helping students to write their own recount text more creative.
Growing Gardening Metaphors is used to motivate students to think about the ideas in writing Recount Text and make it more interesting to be read.
Growing Gardening Metaphors is a classroom activity that was developed by Jennifer Hodgson and Sara Denne-Bolton and published in English Teaching Forum Journal, number 3, 2011. Teachers may need 50-60 minutes to take the time to have students‟ attention in writing recount text by using Growing Gardening Metaphors Activity. For the materials needed, teachers just prepare markers and whiteboard or large paper to write the procedures and list. Teachers are also demanded to make students imagine the garden itself and the elements provided.
Jennifer Hodgson and Sara Denne-Bolton (2011) state some goals which can be reached in applying the activity, “the goals are to introduce (or review) the concept of metaphors and how to use them in writing, to review gardening
vocabulary, to use gardening vocabulary in metaphor to describe some people.”
Teachers are suggested to apply Growing Gardening Metaphors to get classroom activity more interesting, also to have student‟s creativityand motivationin writing Recount Text.
B. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 1.The Process of Writing
McLean (2012) devides the process of writing into five steps, they are prewriting, outlining the structure of ideas, writing a rough draft, revising and editing. He adds, “Effective writing can be simply described as good ideas that are expressed well and arranged in the proper order.”
a) Pre-writing
According to McLean (2012),“in pre-writing, the writer generates ideas to write about and begins developing these ideas.” The topic and the ideas will lead the learners to create the title of the text. In addition, it is needed to find some articles as the references related to the topic, in order to see how the title gives the readers about the information of the text comprehensively.
Burk(2010) states, “Look through the titles of articles in any professional journal and notice how the title clearly describes what the article is about, including the language skills addressed and the level of learner targetted,”
b) Outlining
According to McLean (2012), outlining helps to organize and develop the ideas while starting to write.
c) Drafting
The process of writing that creates a complete first version of a writing development after outlining is called drafting (McLean, 2012). McLean adds, “in this step, the writer uses the work completed in pre-writing to develop a first draft which covers the ideas the writer brainstormed and follows the organizational plan that was laid out in the first step.”
d) Revising and editing
Revising and editing process are veryimportant for the purpose to product of writing as good as possible, and do correcting if there are found some mistakes.
2.Teaching Writing at Senior High School
The previous parts explain that students have a problem to develop writing skill, especially for recount text. The writer also sees, most students think that writing is more difficult English language skill than others. It is caused that writing is an output skill which needs many more ideas in constructing it.
Therefore, English language teachers are demanded to have an effective teaching writing method in order to get students master all basic skills of English language learning. Siswita and AlHafizh state, “In teaching writing, the teacher should consider the effective strategy which is interesting and appropriate for students in order to improve their writing ability.”
In teaching writing at senior high school, teacher has some important roles which influence the students to have their capability in writing a text. According
Harmer in Hazaroh (2016) states, “The teacher has some duties in teaching writing, they are; demonstrating, motivating and provoking, supporting, responding, and evaluating.”
First, as the demonstrator, teacher needs to be able to explain writing principle and genre limitations in specific types of writing to get their attention. Second, teacher can help students by motivating and provoking them into having ideas, interesting them with the value of the task, and persuading them what fun it can be. Third, teacher needs to be supportive when students do the writing process. Fourth, teacher gives comments about the language and suggestions to improve students‟ writing which is called responding. At last, teacher indicates some mistakes that students make after writing the text.
(Hazaroh, 2016: 18)
3.Concept of Recount Text
a) Definition of Recount Text
Recount text is a text which retells the events or someone‟s experiences in the past (wordpress.com). According to Saragih et al (2014), recount text is a written text which consists of a report or information about an experience of a series of related event. Kristono in Hafis et al (2018) states, “Recount text is a text that retells the past experience chronologically in order to inform or entertain readers.” Based on the definition above, it can be concluded that recount text is defined as a text containing someone‟s experiences or events that happened in the past, and its purpose is either to inform or entertain the readers.
b) Generic Structure of Recount Text
Generic Structure of Recount Text consists of three parts; 1) Orientation, this part consists of the introduction of the participants, place, and time. 2) Events, this generic struture consists of the events or experiences which happened in the past. 3) Reorientation, this part is optional, it can state the personal comment of the writer to the story.
In addition, Boardman in Saragih et al (2014)also devides the generic structure in developing writing recount text into 3 parts. First paragraph that is called orientation gives the background information about who, what, and when. The next paragraph consist of the events which usually recounted in chronological order; event 1, event 2, event 3, and so on.The last paragraph is named re-orientation which “rounds off”
the sequences of events or retells about what happened in the end. Re- orientation can be a personal comment and/or evaluative remarks, which are interspersed throughout the record of events.
c) Language Features of Recount Text
According to Boardman (2008), the are six language features which are usually found in a recount text. They are: 1) Use of nouns and pronouns to identify people, animals or things involved. 2) Use of past action verbs to refer the events. 3) Use of past tense to located events in
relation to speaker‟s or researcher‟s time. 4) Use conjunctions and time connections to sequence the events. 5) Use of adverb and adverbial phrases to indicate place and time. 6) Use of adjectives to describe nouns.
He also adds the significant common of grammatical patterns of recount text include: First, focus on the specific participant. Second, use of material process or action verb. Third, circumtance of time and place. Last, use past tense and focus on temporal sequences.
d) Growing Gardening Metaphors
Growing Gardening Metaphor is an English language classroom activity which uses metaphors related to garden vocabulary. It can be used in English language classroom as an activity to make students‟ writing more creative and interesting to be read. Growing Gardening Metaphors uses metaphors related to the garden vocabulary which is not far form students‟ daily life.
Here are the goals which students get in learning recount text by applying Growing Gardening Metaphors classroom activity:
1) To use gardening vocabulary for describing the activities in the same way as the purpose to tell or inform the readers.
2) To introduce or review the concept of metaphors and how to use them in writing recount text.
3) To review gardening vocabulary in order to make students care more about gardens around them.
C. DISCUSSION
1. Preparation of Teaching Writing Recount Text by Applying Growing Gardening Metaphors
Teacher needs to prepare some materials in using Growing Gardening Metaphors in teaching recount text. The materials needed to apply the metaphors activity are :
a) Marker and whiteboard/large paper.
b) Copies of Metaphors Chart (see the chart below).
c) Paper or book for students‟ metaphors in writing recount text.
d) Teacher also needs the space on the wall to hang students‟ works.
2. Teaching Activity a) Pre-teaching activity
1) Greeting
Greeting is important for teacher to begin the class. It can create classroom atmosphere more enjoyable and relax before coming to the lesson. Teacher also get students‟ attention by having good first impression so that they are more energetic to learn the material later.
2) Ckecking students‟ attendance
Its purpose is to know students‟ attendance and condition at that day.
3) Review the last material learned
It is necessary to do reviewing previous material before coming to the next one. Teacher asks the students whether they still remember
that or not. This activity has a purpose to make the materials which had been taught by teacher can be more memorable for students.
b) Whilst teaching activity 1) Observing
In this stage, teacher needs to give the explanation about the concept of metaphors and recount text, include what recount text is, its purpose, the generic structures, and language features of the text.
Teacher may give them the theory first, or prepare them with the metaphorical example to make them think more of the statement given and do comprehending. The example directly relates to the garden vocabulary.
My friend, Tonny, walked like a caterpillar. He used to be left behind us. We thought that he ate so much food before.
After asking students some provocative questions in order to stimulate them to propose their opinion critically about the metaphorical statement, teacher then explains what the example truly means. Do not forget to appreciate the answer of each student, eventhough it is far from the target. The teacher‟s explanation for the example include :
“From the example, we all agree that Tonny is not a caterpillar.
We can conclude that there are some similarities between Tonny and that animal. Now, try to imagine what caterpillar’s habits are.
After that, look again at the sentence, ‘My friend, Tonny, walked like a caterpillar.’ It is known that caterpillar walks very slow, in fact it does everything more languid than any other animals. We can get the point, Tonny moves not as fast as his friends. The writer’s purpose is to make teasing allution, and he used metaphors to express his feeling so that Tonny would not be offended at that time.”
2) Questioning
In this stage, teacher gives the students a simple example of reacount text that contains garden metaphorical sentences. Teacher then asks them to look for some information about the social function, generic structures, and language features. Students are also asked to find the sentences which are written in gardening metaphors from the text example given. After that, teacher gets students to think of metaphorical sentences in the text in order to understand the real meaning of them.
3) Experimenting
Next, students are given the opportunity to prepare the garden vocabulary. Teacher asks them to think some words related to the garden, then write them as a list on a piece of paper. This preparation can be a brainstorming activity which is used as a stimulation in order to create the classroom atmosphere more active. For additional, if there is enough time, teacher may bring the students to the garden in their school to get some more words for the vocabulary list. For instance,
their list consist of flowers, frog, grasshopper, bee, caterpillar, ant, root, log, water, stone, grass, mushroom, gardener, etc.
If all students already have their own list, ask them to take three words/more from the garden vocabulary list, which can be used and related to the events or activities to write recount text, then make the characteristics of each word. They will create some metaphorical sentences from those words chosen. Here, teacher needs to inform the student that they should connect both garden vocabulary and their experiences or events happened in the past to develop recount text. A graphic organizer is necessary to help students in getting the relationships or the characteristics more explicit and comfortable.
Next, teacher prepares the students to make Metaphor Chart. Its purpose is to generate their ideas, then relate between the gardening graphic organizer they have written and the activities they did in the past. In this step, it is significant to remember that there is no right or wrong answer. Teacher just lead and motivate the students to release their imagination in creating metaphors and put them into their own recount text at last. Furthermore, teacher asks students the reason why they think of garden words chosen have some similarities with their experiences. It aims to improve students‟ ability in thinking critically to write the recount text more creative and interesting to read.
4) Associating
It is time for student to write a recount text and associate all preparations needed have been done. Ask students to remember what they did on the last holiday. Teacher can follow the simulation below in teaching activity :
All right, now write down your recount text about your experiences or activities you did on last holiday. You may write them as a list firstly, or write in paragraph directly. Find some activities which are related to the garden vocabulary and its characteristics as you did in the Gardening Graphic Organizer. Do not forget to check your grammatical correction.
5) Communicating
If all students have finished, teacher asks them to change their work each other to review another‟s work. In pairs, give students the opportunity to give the possitive comments about their friend‟s writing. Ask them to put comments and suggestions for the purpose to see their understanding of Recount Text, involving generic structure and language features, and the Garden Metaphorical Sentences.
c) Post-teaching activity
Post teaching activity is done at the end of the teaching and learning process. After students give their friends some comments and suggestions, they are permitted to put some pictures on their own work piece. For instance, they add figure of ant beside the paragraph which talks about the metaphors of ant. Make sure that students just take small pictures. After
that, they hang their written recount text on the wall. The pictures head for making the writing more interesting and influencing their friends come to read it. At the end, teacher needs to conclude the material, or teacher may ask a students to do that.
D. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
Growing Gardening Metaphors, developed by Jennifer Hodgson and Sara Denne-Bolton, is a classroom activity which uses metaphorical sentences related to garden vocabulary. This metaphors activity can help teacher to get students‟
creativity in writing recount text at first grade of senior high school. There are three goals in teaching writing Recount Text by using Growing Gardening Metaphors; first it is to use gardening vocabulary for describing the activities in the same way as the purpose to tell or inform the readers, second it is to introduce the concept of metaphors and how to use them in writing recount text, and it is to review gardening voabulary in order to make students care more about gardens around them.
For applying this metaphor activity, teacher needs approximately 60 minutes.
Teacher needs markers and white board or a large piece of paper to write the procedures, included gardening graphic organizer and metaphor chart. Students are firstly given some examples of metaphorical sentences. They then write the gardening graphic organizer and chart which teacher has shown them as an example on the board. At last, students write their own recount text on a piece of paper. By applying Growing Gardening Metaphors clasroom activity, students are able to write the text creatively.
The writer suggests English language teachers to use Growing Gardening Metaphors Classroom Activity in teaching writing recount text at sehior high school, because it can bring the students to develop their writing as creative as possible. By writing the recount text creatively, students are able to write and produce the text which is interesting to be read. In addition, teacher can create the classroom atmosphere more enjoyable by using this metaphor activity, so teacher gets the students‟ attention and motivation in writing recount text. The writer also suggest for the teachers to find the effectiveness in using Growing Gardening Metaphors in teaching writing recount text or other type of English texts.
Note: This article is written based on the writer‟s paper under the supervision ofDra. Aryuliva Adnan, M.Pd.
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